Shop Smart - Putting Our Money Where Our Mouths Are [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

rpmdfw

11-25-2008, 12:39 PM

There's been a lot of discussion recently on a few different threads about supporting companies that support the gay community, and conversely, avoiding those companies that do not.

Yesterday the Human Rights Campaign released it's newest buyer's guide: "Buying for Equality 2009".

I'm posting it here, as a resource for those who want to use it.

Read about it here (http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2008/11/hrc-releases-20.html).

See it here (http://www.hrc.org/buyersguide2009/index.htm).

merryweather20

11-25-2008, 01:16 PM

rpmdfw

11-25-2008, 01:21 PM

I find I really have to read through these, as I don't always understand the scores.

Alot of the companies seem to have the marketing checked off, but I'm not sure why :confused3 CIBC does not, but there marketing always seemed inclusive to me and I have zero problems with it, plus they have some really good check marks in other areas. Some of the companies that scored 100 don't provide as many benefits to DP's as CIBC does.

:rotfl: Maybe I should just go by colour.

I don't plan on using this as my only tool to determine where to shop. Simply a starting point. Hess gas stations for instance is labelled as "red" for this year and "non-respondant" to HRC's questionnaire. It had a score of 77 last year, though, with a non-discrimination clause for employment. Seems to me that they haven't regressed, but didn't get the info back to HRC.

OrlandoMike

11-25-2008, 02:19 PM

Sigh....

Will I ever get to eat at Cracker Barrel again? :confused3

TuckandStuiesMom

11-25-2008, 02:31 PM

Sigh....

Will I ever get to eat at Cracker Barrel again? :confused3

me too, Mr. Mike. I used to LOVE going there...

merryweather20

11-25-2008, 02:35 PM

me too, Mr. Mike. I used to LOVE going there...

Well if I'm reading it correctly, you can eat there you would just have to skip out on the cheque.

I'm sure law enforcement frowns on that though :sad2:

rpmdfw

11-25-2008, 02:37 PM

Well if I'm reading it correctly, you can eat there you would just have to skip out on the cheque.

:lmao: :rotfl2: :rotfl:

OrlandoMike

11-25-2008, 02:45 PM

Well if I'm reading it correctly, you can eat there you would just have to skip out on the cheque.

I'm sure law enforcement frowns on that though :sad2:

Last time we went to the "barrel" there was no check for me! We were on a road trip, and I was starving, so we pulled off the highway, Southern Georga, and that was our only option. Oh well, lets go in. We got sat at the table by the kitchen door, which quite literally kept hitting me on the back every time a server came out of the kitchen. Whatever! Till I look around! :scared1: The entire restaurant was filled with nice, white, church going types, you know the type, except the room we were in. It was us, two gals in the other corner, and the rest of the room was full of black folks! I looked at Shrek and said "No way, no how! Get you stuff, we are out of here!" :sad2: I cant believe they still get away with this crap!

rpmdfw

11-25-2008, 02:48 PM

Last time we went to the "barrel" there was no check for me! We were on a road trip, and I was starving, so we pulled off the highway, Southern Georga, and that was our only option. Oh well, lets go in. We got sat at the table by the kitchen door, which quite literally kept hitting me on the back every time a server came out of the kitchen. Whatever! Till I look around! :scared1: The entire restaurant was filled with nice, white, church going types, you know the type, except the room we were in. It was us, two gals in the other corner, and the rest of the room was full of black folks! I looked at Shrek and said "No way, no how! Get you stuff, we are out of here!" :sad2: I cant believe they still get away with this crap!

:scared1: :eek: :scared:

TuckandStuiesMom

11-25-2008, 04:19 PM

Well if I'm reading it correctly, you can eat there you would just have to skip out on the cheque.

I'm sure law enforcement frowns on that though :sad2:

WOW! Civil disobedience AND cheesy hashbrown casserole!!!!! WHAT A CONCEPT!!!!

OrlandoMike

11-25-2008, 04:20 PM

WOW! Civil disobedience AND cheesy hashbrown casserole!!!!! WHAT A CONCEPT!!!!

Shhh but the recipe for that casserole is all over the internet! You can make it yourself, and force yourself to sit in the back of your own dining room! :thumbsup2

rpmdfw

11-25-2008, 04:22 PM

Shhh but the recipe for that casserole is all over the internet! You can make it yourself, and force yourself to sit in the back of your own dining room! :thumbsup2

:rotfl2:

TuckandStuiesMom

11-25-2008, 04:30 PM

Shhh but the recipe for that casserole is all over the internet! You can make it yourself, and force yourself to sit in the back of your own dining room! :thumbsup2

That was one gruesome story, Mr. Mike. Sadly, I do not doubt it for one minute. When you get THAT feeling in your gut, you're usually right...

All the more reason to do an "Eat and Run" (after leaving a tip -- of course). I think it would be SO possible to mingle and browse one's way out towards the store front, drop trow in the doorway, and shout sumthin' inflamatory while makin' a mad dash to the car.

zeitzeuge

11-25-2008, 04:58 PM

Oh I heart me some Cracker Barrell, but alas, No Cracker Barrell for me.

Um....where is this cheesy hasbrown cassarole to be found? Hmm?

OrlandoMike

11-25-2008, 05:00 PM

http://www.recipezaar.com/Cracker-Barrel-Copycat-Hash-Browns-Casserole-Copycat-44675

But it's no good unless you sit in the most undesirable location in your home!:lmao:

TuckandStuiesMom

11-25-2008, 07:32 PM

http://www.recipezaar.com/Cracker-Barrel-Copycat-Hash-Browns-Casserole-Copycat-44675

But it's no good unless you sit in the most undesirable location in your home!:lmao:

Well then, the dining possibilities are pretty near endless at my house.

I'm doing some heavy duty cleaning in what used to be my son's room. AWFUL!!! And the concretion of totally weird stuff... HOLY COW!!!!! -- under some icky old busted looking N64 games and misc. schmutz, I found a kareoke machine (broken --of course). The first question that occurred to me was: When did we break the kareoke machine?? The second question was: When did we get a kareoke machine????? The third question was: WHY did we get a kareoke machine?????????? :confused3

npmommie

11-26-2008, 01:13 AM

Sigh....

Will I ever get to eat at Cracker Barrel again? :confused3

No you won't but the bigger question is why would you want to :scared: :sick:
LOL

DVCajun

11-26-2008, 05:56 AM

THANK YOU for sharing these links! I've been educating myself on this very thing lately. I'm in mourning for Chick-fil-a, since I'm addicted to their iced tea and they're right across the sidewalk from where I work. :guilty: Principles are so damn inconvenient.

And I love me some Cracker Barrel too! :sad1: :sad1: Very very sad decision for me, although the wife will probably have a secret ceremony of joy to learn I won't be bugging her to stop there when we're on the road. :laughing:

rpmdfw

11-26-2008, 07:53 AM

I've been educating myself on this very thing lately. I'm in mourning for Chick-fil-a, since I'm addicted to their iced tea and they're right across the sidewalk from where I work. :guilty: Principles are so damn inconvenient.

Yeah. That's going to be a tough one for me, too. The co-workers go to Chick-fil-a a lot. Not going to be fun when I have to decline going with them.

I will, but it won't be fun.

hematite153

11-26-2008, 10:52 AM

OrlandoMike: Will I ever get to eat at Cracker Barrel again? :confused3
TuckandStuiesMom: I used to LOVE going there...
OrlandoMike: Last time we went to the "barrel" ... The entire restaurant was filled with nice, white, church going types, you know the type, except the room we were in. It was us, two gals in the other corner, and the rest of the room was full of black folks!

Yikes!!!

It's funny...even before this discussion, we wouldn't go into Cracker Barrel even if it was the only choice. For years, my DW kept saying that she wanted to go there--I assumed it was because she'd gone when she was a kid and had memories. After our 1 experience there I learned that it was actually that her parents wouldn't let the family eat there and she didn't like it as much as she'd thought she would. However, during that 1 single experience I was completely unable to eat a single thing--the corn was cooked in chicken broth and the dinner rolls had beef fat in them, etc.

I admit to also finding the guide confusing to read -- especially because most of the places that I go and/or choose from aren't even on the list.

OrlandoMike

11-26-2008, 10:56 AM

Rob and I just had this conversation this morning about Chic-fil-A, not on the list, but he did a little research, and it's not good.

Someone else asked me the other day which I preferred, Lowes or Home Depot, and I said either....Well it looks like the Orange Palace wins!

rpmdfw

11-26-2008, 11:04 AM

Yeah. The more I look at the HRC buyers guide, the more I realize that it's just the beginning of the research for me.

Both Hess and Publix are not rated and lumped into the "avoid" category, but had acceptable ratings in 2008, mainly due to non-discrimination policies in their hiring. Why would it have changed? Or is it simply that someone didn't fill out the HRC's questionnaire this time around and they got dropped to the "avoid" category?

And Yum Brands. They've got non-discrimination, they've got domestic partner benefits, they've got a company supported gay organization, gays are covered in diversity training (though not required for all employees). The only things I don't see are GLBT targeted marketing and Transgender therapies and surgeries covered by insurance. That seems very good to me, but their rating is only 65? When other companies that don't have that much in place are listed as 77 (as Hess was last year)?

Definitely just a jumping off point. I think I'm going to have to start checking the corporate web-pages of companies that we patronize on a regular basis.

merryweather20

11-26-2008, 11:39 AM

I go to Lowe's for other reasons so went back to check on the difference between them and Home Depot. It looks like they didn't even send Lowe's a questionnaire?

Anyway I noticed Monsanto was on the green list :scared1: I don't care how good their DP benefits are they have, I'm not buying their products :sick:

OrlandoMike

11-26-2008, 11:55 AM

rpmdfw

11-26-2008, 12:03 PM

Rob, FYI Publix has come a long way! I work with a guy who's FT job is at Publix, and we were discussing this the other day. As a matter of fact, two of the main managers of my Publix are family!

Remember the days when you would walk in and the pics of the managers behind the service counter were all middle aged white men who looked like they just got out of the service?

I'm fairly certian one of the assistant managers at our local Publix is gay, too. And they do have a non-discrimination policy.

I appreciate what the HRC has done, and how far in-depth they've looked at every issue, but as long as a company isn't supporting causes that work against gay rights, I'm okay with it.

Yes, I'd prefer that they all have the fantastic track record that BP, Disney, Universal, and Target have, but you really can't expect fast food chains to have gay specific marketing. They're marketing strategy is to assume that we're all the same and we all should want their product. To me, that's better than something targeted directly at the GLBTQ community. Because they choose to treat us like everyone else, not a niche market.

hematite153

11-26-2008, 12:23 PM

Yeah. The more I look at the HRC buyers guide, the more I realize that it's just the beginning of the research for me...
Definitely just a jumping off point. I think I'm going to have to start checking the corporate web-pages of companies that we patronize on a regular basis.

Hey, you could take on the job for all of us. We could send you a list of our favourite places to eat/shop and you could give us info. ;)

I appreciate what the HRC has done, and how far in-depth they've looked at every issue, but as long as a company isn't supporting causes that work against gay rights, I'm okay with it.
...
Their marketing strategy is to assume that we're all the same and we all should want their product. To me, that's better than something targeted directly at the GLBTQ community. Because they choose to treat us like everyone else, not a niche market.

Yeah, I generally agree with this perspective. I don't actually think I'm that different from a "straight" person.

rpmdfw

11-26-2008, 12:32 PM

Hey, you could take on the job for all of us. We could send you a list of our favourite places to eat/shop and you could give us info. ;)

Are you offering me a JOB?!?!?! :hyper: How much does it pay? :hyper: Does it come with Domestic Partner benefits? :hyper:

Yeah, I generally agree with this perspective. I don't actually think I'm that different from a "straight" person.

Especially things like FOOD! Hello, everybody has to eat!

glenpreece

11-26-2008, 01:25 PM

Can someone please explain why "we" hate Cracker Barrel so much? I only go there when we go to Buffalo and want to have bfast etc. I personally can't stand the food there. I would much rather just pick up some candles etc and go. But my mom always insists we eat there.

hematite153

11-26-2008, 01:30 PM

Are you offering me a JOB?!?!?! :hyper: How much does it pay? :hyper:

Well...you'll get paid with kind comments, and a variety of emoticons responding to your reports. :cool1: :thumbsup2 :worship: :surfweb: :woohoo: :headache: :sad2:
(Of course, given the board we're on, I can't keep everyone worshipful and you'll likely get teased some too.)

Does it come with Domestic Partner benefits? :hyper:
I'd be happy to direct emoticons in your DPs direction too.

hematite153

11-26-2008, 01:32 PM

Can someone please explain why "we" hate Cracker Barrel so much?

Well, I hate it because they don't have a single vegetarian thing on the menu -- I can't remember what the problem was, but, even the garden salad and baked potato couldn't be prepared vegetarian.

But, I think Mike's earlier post is a good example of the reason others don't like it.

rpmdfw

11-26-2008, 01:33 PM

Well...you'll get paid with kind comments, and a variety of emoticons responding to your reports. :cool1: :thumbsup2 :worship: :surfweb: :woohoo: :headache: :sad2:
(Of course, given the board we're on, I can't keep everyone worshipful and you'll likely get teased some too.)

I'd be happy to direct emoticons in your DPs direction too.

Um . . . yeah . . .

I'll get back to you on whether I take that job.

yeesh, what a bunch of cheapskates!

rpmdfw

11-26-2008, 01:34 PM

Well, I hate it because they don't have a single vegetarian thing on the menu -- I can't remember what the problem was, but, even the garden salad and baked potato couldn't be prepared vegetarian.

But, I think Mike's earlier post is a good example of the reason others don't like it.

Plus the whole firing people for being gay thing . . .

OrlandoMike

11-26-2008, 01:41 PM

Plus the whole firing people for being gay thing . . .

They "say" they have stopped this pratice, but to even have it to start with boggles the mind! I believe there was a cook in Georga who was fired after 10 years with them just for being gay....

rpmdfw

11-26-2008, 01:44 PM

And they were FORCED to stop discriminating by the courts.

It'd be like going in to work for someone who says "We don't like you, we don't want you here, but the judge is making us take you on."

Who'd want to work in that kind of environment?:confused3